Trekking in Nepal

Facilities	Duration	Fee
Single entry	60 days from the date of entry	US$ 30 or equivalent convertible foreign currency
Multiple entry*	60 days from the date of entry	US$ 80 or equivalent convertible foreign currency

* Multiple entry is valid for a calendar year
You are allowed to stay in Nepal only 150 days in a year.
More information available from the Nepal Immigration website

Entrance fees Hiked
The Annapurna conservation fee is now Rs 2000 (about US$28) and the national park entrance fee has been increased to Rs 1000.

Nepal"s tourism industry and economy is in deep trouble due to the ongoing Maoist insurgency, but an OUTDOORSmagic member who"s just returned from trekking the Annapurna Circuit says that the danger to trekkers seems to be exagerated.

Among other comments, Steven Edge reports that locals are unhappy over the reporting of the Stevie Haston "kidnap" story and claim that the sum involved was actually not $4,000 as reported but 4,000 rupees - around 40 pounds.

He also confirms previous claims that in the odd incidents when trekkers are stopped by Maoists and "invited" to make a donation, they are given a receipt to produce if they"re stopped again to show that they"ve already made a contribution to the party. Steve walked around half the Annapurna Circuit and comments: "Sadly Nepal's loss was our gain, as it was very quiet with just the usual gaggle of Aussies as trekkers, but not many others."

He saw no Maoists whatsoever on the trek, where "every day topped the previous for scenery and remoteness/culture".

We can't tell you that Nepal is perfectly safe for trekkers - there have been bombs in Kathmandu for example - but the Maoists have stated that tourists are not a target. The bottom line is that if you are planning to trek one of the popular routes - Everest or Annapurna regions for example - you should be relatively safe although you should also keep an eye on the latest advice from the Foreign Office and US State Department web sites and avoid the west of the country, where the insurrection is concentrated.